On 20/02/2011 22:01, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 20 Feb 2011 18:16:54 +0000, harvey1964
wrote:


after severe frosts at christmas my cordyline has been shedding leaves
everyday for the last few weeks...its getting very bare looking now ?
will it come back again or is it a goner !!! its been growing for 15
years so far....

There was an almost identical question here towards the end of
January. It seems that cordylines took a hammering this winter,
everywhere. The probability is that the top and most of the trunk is
dead. Does the top of the trunk feel soft and mushy? If so, it is very
likely dead. The good news is that the root may have survived, and if
it has, it will usually send up a shoot or three in a few months time.
Be patient, and if shoots appear, you can cut down the old trunk. If
they don't, you can still cut down the old trunk!

It is certainly worth hanging on to and if the top has started rotting
cutting it back to good wood lower down. They tend to sucker from the
roots in midsummer if the top growth is destroyed by a cold winter.

The ones which really die stone dead in cold winters are tree ferns

Regards,
Martin Brown